Possibly Sufferable
by Riiko Shea
Summary: Everyone's getting married... everyone except Ron and Hermione. Harry decides Ron needs a little push to get him to pop the question, and what better way to push him than initiating a little bet?
1. Another Bet

**A/N: **Hello! I'm Riiko Shea, and this is Possibly Sufferable, sequel to Impossibly Insufferable. (Hopefully you can read this without reading the other, though).

So, I'm really not sure what to tell you, expect that this should probably be shorter than Impossibly Insufferable- probably nine or ten chapters. I really hope you enjoy!

Please review!

Onward!

**Edit: **Thanks to VampiresWizardsCentaursOhmy for pointing out that Hermione wouldn't be happy if Ron just asked her because of a bet.

**Possibly Sufferable**

**Chapter One**

**Another Bet**

Harry yawned as he unlocked the door to the flat he and Ron shared, his arms weighed down with paperwork. Ron looked up from his own papers and smiled.

"Hey. What took you so long to get home?" he asked. Harry sighed gustily and joined Ron at the kitchen table.

"That idiot Hayes was taking for-bloody-ever to find the case files I needed- I mean, they're alphabetized! How hard can it be?" Harry dumped his papers on the table and sank into a chair, rubbing his eyes roughly with the heels of his palms. "I hate this job."

"No you don't," Ron yawned. "You hate the paperwork that comes with this job. Am I right?"

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, guess you're right." He heaved himself to his feet. "Do we have any food?"

"Not really," Ron answered. Harry swore.

"Great. Now I'm going to be hungry and in a bad mood for the rest of the night," he groused. Before he could say anything else, however, a rush of air from the fireplace in the sitting area (separated from the kitchen by a low dividing wall) announced a call. The two men stood and walked to the fire. There, his head outlined in the now-green flames, was Neville. Harry grinned. "Hey, mate. What's up?"

"I have something I want you guys to hear- mind meeting me at the Three Broomsticks? My treat." Neville looked excited, Harry thought. Before he could even open his mouth, Ron was answering.

"If you're buying, I'm there. See you soon, Neville," Ron said. Neville laughed.

"All right, see you soon." His head disappeared from the flames as Harry looked at Ron in mild annoyance.

"Couldn't have waited for my answer?" he asked, walking to the coat rack by the door (a relic from Number 12 Grimmauld Place) and pulling on his coat. Ron did the same and shrugged.

"Would you have refused?"

Harry made a face and Ron smirked before turning and disappearing. Harry rolled his eyes and spun as well, stumbling when he reappeared at the Public Apparition Point in front of the Three Broomsticks.

Harry pushed open the door, allowing the warmth of the room to dull the slight fall chill that had settled into his bones. At a table, Ron was shaking Neville's hand, clapping his shoulder in a manly greeting. Looking up, Neville waved his free hand at Harry.

Harry walked over and mimicked Ron's actions before sitting down. Rosemerta came over and Neville ordered a round of drinks before sitting back and beaming at his friends. Harry lifted an eyebrow.

"All right, Neville, what's going on? You look like you've had one too many Cheering potions," Harry remarked. Next to him, Ron smirked.

"I don't know, Harry, looks more like he got laid," he said, and Neville blushed slightly as Harry and Ron laughed.

"All right, all right," Neville grinned, even through his flush. "No, it's not that. It's... I… I asked Hannah to marry me."

There was a shocked silence, before Harry and Ron whooped. "That's great!" Ron shouted, slapping Neville on the back enthusiastically before freezing. "Wait… she said yes, right?"

Harry laughed and shook Neville's hand. "Congrats, Neville- that's fantastic. You two will be really happy together."

Neville grinned. "You're asking Ginny soon, right? She owled me and said that you've been acting kind of shifty recently."

Harry scowled. "I can never hide anything from her," he muttered. "Yeah, I am… probably this Saturday, actually. We're going out for a romantic dinner."

Suddenly, a familiar voice broke in on the conversation.

"Neville?"

Harry, Ron, and Neville whirled around to see none other than Hannah Abbot standing in the doorway of the pub, followed by several of her friends. Neville blushed. "Hi, Hannah," he murmured. She smiled.

"I take it you're here for the same reason as I am, then?" she asked. Neville nodded and Hannah turned to her friends. "All right then, here's the big secret- Neville asked me to marry him!" She was instantly buried in a pile of squealing girls. The three men rolled their eyes and Neville motioned to Rosemerta, ordering a round of drinks for the girls.

Soon, everyone was more than a little tipsy, and Ron was getting nervous. All this talk about marriage was making his pocket burn uncomfortably. As he glanced down to make sure it wasn't on fire, Neville's slurring, more-than-slightly-drunk voice realized his worse fear.

"So Ron, when're you an' Hermione plannin' on tyin' th' knot?"

Everyone fell silent at this question and turned to Ron, who stared firmly into his butterbeer. He knew that, if he was too intoxicated, he might let anything slip.

"Um, I haven't actually…. Uh, planned, yet… I'm not sure-"

"Ron? Harry? Oh, and Neville too!"

Harry turned and grinned. "Hi, Hermione!"

Ron's stomach dropped to his feet. His girlfriend of six years (with a little break between year three and four due to a ridiculous fight) was standing with Ginny in the doorway of the pub. Thinking back, he remembered Hermione mentioning that she and Ginny were going out for a girls' night out. _Oh, come on! Why here?_

Hermione pulled up a chair and sat next to him, as Ginny plopped herself into Harry's lap. "What's the celebration?" Hermione asked, looking around at the slightly inebriated faces around her. Neville beamed.

"I asked Hannah to marry me!" he answered. Ginny and Hermione squealed, leaping up from their respective seats to hug Neville and then Hannah. Luckily for Ron, they soon got distracted with Hannah's friends, already beginning to plan.

Ron grabbed Harry's shoulder. "Listen, mate, please… don't mentioned me asking Hermione, 'kay?"

Harry's slightly cloudy eyes focused and his lips pursed. "Fine… are you gonna tell me why?"

"Not now," Ron breathed as Hermione and Ginny passed behind them to get drinks from the now crowded bar. "At home, later." Harry nodded and smiled up at Ginny as she returned, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back onto his lap.

Hermione sat down too and looked at Ron. "Ron? Is something wrong?" Ron looked up and shook his head.

"No! No, of course not." He smiled slightly at her continued look of concern and took her left hand in his right, rubbing his thumb over the top lightly. "I'm fine, love, really."

Hermione sighed and leaned over, resting her head on his shoulder. Ron bit his lip and inhaled the clean scent of her hair before releasing her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist. Between them, his pocket seemed to burn even hotter.

Eventually, the party wound down and people began filtering out, laughing and stumbling towards the Apparition Point (though a few of the more intoxicated members of the group had to Side-Along with someone else). Hannah and Neville were still in the pub, talking quietly. Harry and Ginny kissed in the shadows outside before parting and Dissaparating to their respective dwellings, Harry with an impatient, "Come on!" to Ron.

Ron and Hermione stood outside for a moment, listening to the last of Hannah's friends disappearing. Finally, Ron turned to Hermione, who was looking thoughtfully at the couple in the pub. He smiled slightly and leaned down, blowing in her ear. She jumped and flushed.

"Sorry," Hermione said. "Just thinking."

"There's a surprise," Ron grinned. Hermione gently swatted his arm and glanced at her watch. She groaned.

"I've got to get going, Ron… I have to get to work early tomorrow," she sighed, looking regretful. Ron frowned, but didn't argue. Instead he leaned down and gently kissed her.

"'Night," he murmured when they broke apart. Hermione smiled gently.

"'Night, Ron," she replied, and walked quickly to the Apparition Point.

A moment later, she had disappeared. Ron sighed and mimicked her actions, appearing the flat he shared with Harry once more. Harry was sitting on the couch, drinking something out of an unmarked, green bottle. Ron joined him and Harry passed him the bottle silently.

Ron took a swig and swallowed. As soon as the liquid hit his throat his eyebrows shot into his hairline. "What _is_ this?" he asked, gasping. Harry grinned.

"Not sure- some strong Muggle drink that George sent me a few months back for my birthday." He took the bottle back from Ron and took another drink, shuddering slightly. "I'm going to have the bloody mother of all headaches tomorrow," he announced after swallowed.

Ron nodded. "I'm surprised you're not slurring."

Harry shrugged. "Took a Sobering potion before I started drinking this," he said. Then he put the bottle down and turned to face his friend. "Now. We need to talk."

Ron flinched and looked away. Harry sighed. "Ron. Talk to me. Why aren't you asking Hermione to marry you?"

"I… I don't know," Ron whispered. "I _want_ to, Harry, I really do. But do you know what marriage means? It means worrying about her even more than I do now, and all the logistics like looking for houses and stuff like that, not to mention just trying to get along every single day… living in the same house… Harry, she wants _kids. _I'm not cut out to be a father!" Some time during this speech, Ron's hands had firmly gripped his hair, and now he looked at Harry with wide, panicked eyes.

Harry considered the slightly insane looking Weasley next to him. After a moment's silence he stated drily, "You're scared to ask her."

Ron looked down sheepishly. "Well… yeah. That too."

Harry laughed. "I can imagine… to tell the truth, I'm scared to death to ask Ginny."

Ron shrugged. "You shouldn't be. I mean, Ginny's always loved you, and you've never done anything stupid to totally ruin your relationship… except for that one time you broke up with her, but since it was to save the world she forgave you."

Harry looked thoughtful and then picked up the green bottle, taking another drink. "All right, how about this… let's make a bet."

Ron groaned loudly. "Another bet? Come on, Harry."

Harry looked at him. "Really, Ron? The last one worked out very well for you. I'd think you'd be interested in another."

Ron huffed and then grabbed the bottle from Harry, taking a loud gulp. After fortifying himself in this way, he looked at Harry. "Fine. Fine. What's the bet?"

Harry steepled his fingers. "All right, how about this? Today's Sunday. I'm asking Ginny on Saturday. You have until Saturday to ask Hermione to marry you. If I ask Ginny before you ask her… you have to wear a dress to Neville and Hannah's wedding."

Ron sputtered incoherently before saying, "Listen, Harry, I know you're trying to push me into asking Hermione, and I appreciate it, I really do... but if she finds out I only asked her because of a bet, she'll be furious."

Harry nodded slowly. "True... but listen, you love her, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"And even if you lose the bet, you'll still ask her, right?"

"Of course."

"So if it's going to happen anyways, I may as well push you to get it done sooner, right?"

When faced with that logic, Ron didn't really see any point in fighting it. He sighed. "What time are you asking Ginny?"

"Sometime around seven."

"Fine. If I ask her before seven on Saturday, you're wearing the dress."

"It's a bet." The two shook hands and took a few more drinks in contemplative silence before Ron broke it.

"Why are you so desperate for me and Hermione to get married anyways?"

Harry shifted. "Well, I've been talking to her a little about asking Ginny, and she always got… quiet and thoughtful, you know?"

Ron stiffened. "She did the same thing when Hannah and Neville were talking together in the pub," he said, looking horrified.

Harry nodded. "I think she's feeling kind of left out, Ron. Maybe she thinks you don't love her or whatever. I just know you need to get going and ask her."

Ron took a deep breath. "I know."

When Harry went to his room a few hours later, Ron also stumbled to his bedroom, taking off his clothes in a drunken haze. However, he was still very careful with his trousers, emptying his pockets and dumping the contents of the right one in his night stand before falling into bed.

It would be, he realized, a long week.

**A/N: **And there we have the first chapter! I hope eveyone liked it- please leave a review!

Note- the other bet Harry's referring to is covered in "Impossibly Insufferable".

))Riiko Shea((


	2. Day One: Monday

**A/N: **Hello. Here's chapter two- I'm sorry it took so long to put up. I had a chapter ready on Sunday, then I re-read it, nearly threw up, and deleted it. I wanted you guys to have a decent chapter rather than a bad chapter put out quickly.

Now, I'm introducing two people into this mix- Dean Thomas and Parvati Patil. They seem like fairly odd people for Harry and Ron to be confiding in, but here's my story- I decided that both of them would make good Aurors, having read a little of their interactions with everyone in the books. Dean always seemed to like Harry and Ron, and Parvatidid Harry a favor back in fourth year (going with him to the Yule Ball and getting Padma to go with Ron) and I always thought they were interesting characters who were never really explored enough. So. That's why I picked them!

Oh, and for anyone who thinks I should havepicked Luna instead- I always imagine her as spending her time searching for all her crazy creatures (so she wouldn't be around much, she'd be off exploring) and plus, I have a very difficult time writing her. (She might make an appearance in the story anyways) ;) So, hopefully, everyone's all right with my choice!

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed!

Onward!

**Possibly Sufferable**

**Chapter Two**

**Day One (Monday)**

**Ron**

When I woke up on the first morning of my bet with Harry, all I wanted to do was lie in bed. I had what I was certain was the mother of all hangovers.

Unfortunately, I had work, and I could only groan and vomit (into a bucket placed wisely by my bed the night before) for so long. At seven thirty-ish, I dragged my aching body out of bed and to the bathroom.

Harry was already there, clinging to the counter of the sink and gulping a Sobering potion. I reached blindly into the cabinet, scanned the label of the vial I grabbed, and downed it in one go.

When I swallowed, my headache increased tenfold and I nearly hurled again, but everything calmed and my headache and nausea disappeared. I sighed in relief, put my vial away for when Harry and I would make some more of the extremely useful potion and smiled at him.

"'Morning, Harry."

"'Morning," he yawned back. "Work in a half-hour."

"I know," I answered. Harry left the bathroom and I went to my room to change into trousers, a collared shirt, and my robes with their official Auror badge. Then, I filled the pockets inside my robes and went into the little kitchen, where Harry, already dressed, had poured himself a bowl of cereal.

I copied him, and at quickly before standing and tossing my dishes in the sink. "I'm leaving," I told Harry. He sighed and stood.

"Fine."

We Disapparated and appeared in the Public Apparition Point in an alley behind the Ministry. One telephone booth ride later, we were waiting in line behind eight or nine other Ministry employees to go through the security barriers.

The barriers were a new addition after the war that scanned for magic, any kind, on a person's being. Wands were inspected by the guards working the spells on the barriers, who cast a spell to detect if any illegal spells had recently been performed, and any magical items were presented for inspection. If you brought something with Dark magic or had cast a spell of questionable nature, you had to have a pass with a special signature from a superior saying you had a reason to do so.

I sighed and pulled out my wand, handing it to the guard. He cast the spell on it and then, looking up, cast the spell on me.

Which, for the first time ever, whistled. The guard frowned. "Now then, Mr. Weasley, sir. I'll have whatever's in your pockets that's causing this commotion."

I flushed, knowing Harry was behind me, craning his neck curiously to see what had set off the spell. I reached into my right pocket and put a small, blue velvet box into the guard's outstretched hand. He blinked when he opened it, but said nothing when I surreptitiously slipped him a Galleon.

The spell let me through the second time, and I grabbed the box, stuffing it into my pocket before snatching my wand and trying to get to a lift before Harry could follow me.

Unfortunately, I had no luck, as all the lifts were full. Harry caught up to me and we waited in silence for a lift to come for us. He said nothing during the ride up to our floor, and remained quiet as we walked into the office that, as partners, we shared.

I sank down behind my desk and put my head in my hands as Harry settled down behind his own desk. "So, Ronnie, how long have you had that little box?" he asked, teasingly.

I growled. "Shut up, Potter. Not long." Harry snorted.

"May I see it?"

I sighed. "Fine." I pulled the box out and Levitated it to him. He opened it carefully to find the two rings that every wizard gave to his wife. The first was the gold band they would use at the ceremony. It was this that had tipped the spell, because each band had a tiny spell that, when placed on the bride's finger, would engrave her name, the groom's name, and the date into the inside. It was an addition that the jewelry maker spelled in to the ring so that if the wedding was called off or the date changed, there would be no need to re-engrave.

The second ring was the one I had picked for her- the engagementring. It was white gold, instead of yellow, and had a single, tiny diamond set in the center. On either side were two small stones, both red. Harry whistled.

"Nice, mate. You have your ring somewhere safe, right?" he asked, referring to the matching gold band I would have bought. I nodded.

"It's locked in the safe at home," I answered. Harry nodded and snapped the box shut.

"So honestly, how long have you had these for?" he asked again. I bit my lip before giving in.

"I bought them a month ago, give or take a few days."

"And you've carried them around this whole time?" Harry asked in disbelief. "How come you never set off the spell?"

"I didn't bring them to work," I explained. "I only carried them when I thought I might have a chance to ask her, and now that I have this bet hanging over my head, I thought that I should have them all the time. I totally forgot about the barriers until it was too late."

Harry laughed, but then sobered as he Levitated the box to me. I tucked it back in my pocket as he spoke. "I think," he said, "You're going to need some assistance with this bet."

I groaned, thinking he would tell George and Angelina again, or drag the happily-married Vicky Krum into the Ministry. Harry, apparently understand my discontent, smiled.

"No, not George this time. I was thinking Parvati, and Dean, and of course Neville, since he started it."

I ground the palms of my hands into my eyes. "I understand Neville, by why Dean and Parvati?"

"They're our partner Auror pair, you know- we work with them almost every day. _And_ they went to school with us. I think they'd be a big help."

I sighed. "You'll tell them anyways, so fine. Go ahead." I pulled a stack of paperwork towards me and began rifling through it. I had to get _something _done today. Harry grinned and I heard him leave the room.

A few minutes later, he came back with Dean and Parvati in tow. "They're here, Ron," he announced, and I finished signing my name to an arrest warrant for a suspect who was selling illegal potion ingredients. When I looked up, Parvati and Dean smirked.

"Getting ready to pop the question, then, mate?" Dean asked. I sighed.

"Yes, I am." Parvati laughed.

"Finally! May I see the rings?" she asked. I held out the box and she took it, popping it open. Dean leaned over her shoulder and whistled in admiration.

"Nice, Weasley, very nice," he announced. I scowled.

"I'm glad you approve." I took the rings back and looked at Harry. "Where's Neville?"

"It's Monday, Ron, he's teaching. He had to get special permission to see us last night. I left him a floo message."

I nodded. "Fine. Now why did you feel it necessary to get help from these two? What can they help with?"

"'These two' are in the room," Parvati said, and I looked at her. She was still as pretty as she had been in school and wore her hair twisted into a braid down to the middle of her back. She had a reputation for having being witty and sarcastic (which was true), but was an excellent Auror and was easy to work with.

Next to her, Dean stood, hands clasped behind his back. He reminded me a bit of a young Kingsley, with his height (nearly as tall as me) and his broad shoulders. He was quieter now than he had been in school but I figured that was due to being removed from the presence of Seamus twenty-four/seven.

Meanwhile, Parvati had started talking again. "We can help you out a lot, Ron. I mean, I know what Hermione likes, and I can definitely help you plan how to ask her." She smiled winningly and I nodded, conceding her point.

"Fine, but what about Dean?"

Dean shrugged and grinned. "I'm just along for the ride," he said. I moaned.

"Thanks for being honest, at least," I said, feeling slightly disheartened. Parvati sat on the edge of my desk.

"Oh, don't worry, Ron. We'll figure something out."

"Right now," a deep voice interrupted, "you should be figuring out how to get rid of the paperwork that I know is piled on all of your desks." We all looked up to see Kingsley, Minister of Magic, standing in the doorway. Parvati and Dean instantly fled the office, and Harry sat down at his desk. Kingsley nodded in approval and left the room.

I sighed. "At least he was in a good mood," I murmured to Harry as I pulled out a transcript of my interview with a customer of the suspect. Kingsley had, surprisingly, managed rather well as both the Minister of Magic and the Head of the Auror Department. Unfortunately, though, when he was in a bad moodhe might dole out things like pushups as punishment for lazing around.

Harry and I worked until lunch, when we strolled down to the Ministry's cafeteria. I grabbed a sandwich from the counter and turned to scan the tables. I soon found Parvati and Dean who were sitting with (surprise!) Hermione. Parvati glanced up and saw me and Harry. She smiled and waved us over.

I sat down at their table across from Hermione. "Hi," I said. Everyone murmured hi back as Harry sat down. We ate in silence until Parvati sighed loudly.

"Well, aren't we exciting?" she snapped. I blinked at her and Harry smirked.

"Sorry we're not rowdy enough for you, Parvati," he said, talking a calm bite of his salad. She scowled.

"I'm not saying we need to be rowdy, just that a bit of conversation would be nice." She paused, examining her apple before taking a chunk out of it. We waited as she swallowed and finally said, "For instance. Ron, you could initiate a conversation with Hermione."

I rolled my eyes and tried to take a drink or my water, but Parvati poked my arm, making it spill onto the table. "Come on, Ron. Let's go."

I sighed and looked up at Hermione, who had a small, amused smile on her face. "Hi, Hermione."

"Hello, Ron," she answered, and I looked expectantly at Parvati.

"Happy?"

"No, actually," she replied haughtily. "That was not a conversation, that was a greeting. Now for the next part of the conversation, try something like, 'Hermione, I love you' or 'Hermione, you're so hot'." Parvati smirked.

I groaned as Dean snickered. I glared at him, finished the final bite of my sandwich, and then stood. "I don't know about you, Hermione, but I'm finished here."

Hermione sighed in relief. "All right, let's go." She stood as well, and followed me over to the bins where we dumped our plates and trays.

We walked out of the cafeteria towards the lifts that would take us to Hermione's office. I usually ate lunch with Hermione and then walked her back to her department, so today was nothing new. However on this walk, I was distracted, to the point where Hermione poked me and said, "Ron? Is everything all right?"

I jumped and looked over at her. She was lookingback at me, eyes wide. I smiled. Her dress was just as professional as it had been at Hogwarts- collared shirt tucked in, skirt a work-appropriate black, shoes a sensible, heel-less type that had a name… a Mary Alice or something.

The only thing that had really changed was her robes- long and black still, but with a blue armband that had the embroidery of the Head of the Department of Magical Creatures (which took care of the rights of intelligent beings like werewolves and centaurs, and the care of other, less intelligent things such as Blast-Ended Skrewts.)

"Ron?"

I blinked, pulled from my observation, and smiled. "Nothing's wrong, love. Just admiring you."

Hermione flushed and shook her head, unable to think of a comeback. I smirked, glanced around the hallways we were in to make sure no one was around (Hermione was very strict about "no workplace relationships"). Upon finding the corridor empty, I quickly pulled her close, leaned down, and pressed my lips firmly against hers.

She struggled for about a second before relaxing, but that only lasted a short time. As soon as I tried to deepen the kiss, Hermione pulled back, shaking her head. "You're incorrigible," she informed me, a smile tugging at her lips.

We resumed our walk and I laughed. "It took you all this time to figure it out?"

Hermione thumped my arm. "Hush. I figured that out years ago." I grinned and pulled ahead, reaching the lift and hitting the button.

Suddenly, I heard a shouted, "Ron! Hermione!"

I turned and Hermione did the same. I blinked when I saw Seamus Finnegan running full-tilt down the hallway at us. He stopped, panting, in front of Hermione. She blinked. "Seamus? Are you all right?"

Seamus took and deep breath, grinned, and shouted, "I'm brilliant! I just asked Lavender to marry me, and she said yes, and I had to come over here from Wheezes to tell Dean and Harry and you two… so… ta!" He hugged Hermione and then ran down the hallway in the direction from which Hermione and I had just come, presumably headed for the cafeteria.

Behind me, the elevator door opened, but Hermione and I didn't move. She stood, straight-backed, in front of me. Behind her, I was biting my lip firmly, not sure what to say.

If even Seamus was settling down, I was in more trouble than I had thought.

Needless to say, the rest of the walk to Hermione's office was in silence.

))((

By the end of the day, I was fried. The department where Percy worked had begun flooding, and he hadn't been able to figure out how to stop it and had asked me to help. After that, I wrote nine reports, filed my remaining paperwork, and tried to ignore Harry's worried looks at my silence.

We Apparated home together, and I sank down on the couch, putting my face in my hands. I felt Harry sit next to me. "It's Seamus, huh?"

"She was with me," I murmured. "When we found out, I mean. This is awful, Harry. I mean, now she's going to feel like I'm only asking her because everyone else is getting married." I dropped my hands to my lap and looked despairingly at Harry, who looked troubled.

Finally, he stood. "All right, I'm flooing Neville, and then getting Dean and Parvati in here. We're going to help you, Ron. Even if it means I'm wearing a dress to the wedding. This is too important to screw around with."

I smiled tiredly and clapped Harry's shoulder. "Thanks, mate. That means a lot."

He grinned. "I'm mainly doing it for Hermione," he said, and winked befor I could protest. As I showered and changed out of my work clothes, I heard him floo-call Neville, Parvati, and Dean. When I came back, all three were in the living room, along with Harry who had shed his robe, rolled up his sleeves, and was in the process of ordering take-out Chinese.

I sank onto the couch between Dean and Parvati. Parvati smiled and nudged my shoulder, and Dean grinned, slinging his arm across the back of the sofa. Across from us in the armchair, Neville smiled and crossed his legs.

Finally, Harry hung up the phone and sat down in the other armchair across from the couch.

"All right, ladies, gents," he began, looking around seriously. "Today, we were informed that Seamus Finnegan has finally settled down with Lavender Brown." Neville's eyes widened comically.

"Seriously? He sent me an owl just as you flooed me, Harry… I didn't have a chance to read the letter yet." He shook his head.

Harry grinned. "I know, surprising, huh? Anyways, the point is Hermione was with Ron when they found out, and Ron is worried that she'll think he's only asking her because all of us are getting married." Parvati and Dean instantly cleared their throats and Harry nodded. "Sorry, many of us."

Parvati pursed her lips. "It makes sense for her to think that," she said, thoughtfully. I groaned despairingly.

Dean tapped his chin. "I think," he said slowly, "that I know what Ron should do." Everyone looked at him.

"Really?" Harry finally said. Dean scowled.

"There's no need to sound so surprised," he growled. "Do you want my idea or not?"

"I didn't say anything!" I protested. "I want your ideas!" Dean glanced at me and then smiled.

"All right, fine. Here's what I think." There was a pregnant pause, and then Dean said, "Show her how much you love her."

Everyone stared at him. "That's it?" I finally asked. "Really, Dean."

Dean glared. "Come on, Ron, like you would have thought of that. Just… take her on a date, send her flowers- that kind of thing. Just show her that you love her, and then when you _do_ propose she'll know it's _because_ you love her."

Across from me, Neville nodded. "I think that Dean's made a good point," Neville said. "Not to sound like a girl or anything, but since you haven't asked her yet, she may be feeling as if you don't love her anymore and you just don't know how to tell her."

I blanched. "You don't… really think that, do you, Neville?"

Neville shrugged. "What can I say?"

Parvati nodded. "It makes a whole lot of sense, Ron."

I groaned. "But… a date? We usually just go out to dinner… we haven't had a real date since, like, the year after the war! I'd have no idea what to do that would show her anything different from what I usually show her."

We sat in silence for a bit until Harry straightened from his previously slouched position and clapped his hands. "All right, then, mates- I think it's pretty clear where we should go from here." He looked around at us. "Every night for the next week, each of us is going to suggest a place for Ron to take Hermione. Saturday, you'll have to pick yourself, Ron."

Dean looked interested. "That sounds like a good idea." I stared at him.

"You're all being awfully nice and giving me a lot of help," I said suspiciously. Harry shrugged.

"Just because we're helping you get ready doesn't mean you'll actually get up the courage to ask her on any of these dates. It's nothing you couldn't have done yourself- we'll just make it more interesting." He grinned. "Deal?"

I sighed. "Fine. Who's picking tomorrow?"

"I will," Neville volunteered. "I'll ask Hannah for some ideas."

With that decided, Parvati and Neville went to pick up the Chinese food. We all ate together, and then our friends left, leaving Harry and I alone. Harry yawned and went to bed, calling a sleepy, "'Night, Ron," over his shoulder.

I, however, made a floo call to Hermione, just as I always did on days when we hadn't seen each other except for at work. She answered immediately, and I could tell form her smile that she was (mostly) back to her normal self after our run-in with Seamus.

"Hey, love," I said, grinning.

"Hello, Ronald," she smiled. Behind her, I heard Ginny (her flatmate) shout something. "Ginny says, 'Oi, tell the git I say hi'."

I laughed. "Charming, Ginny. How was work?"

"Fine," Hermione answered. Her face shifted, and I knew she was getting into a more comfortable position on the floor. "How about you?"

"Irritating. Percy's department was flooding- we haven't figured out how it happened, but we did manage to make it stop, and that's all that matters." Hermione nodded.

"Of course."

There was a pleasant silence, until I broke it. "Um, Hermione, I was wondering… would you like to go out tomorrow night?"

"You mean for dinner?"

"No, I don't think so," I answered. Hermione quirked an eyebrow.

"You're asking me out, but you don't know what we're going to do?" I sighed. I really, really, didn't want Hermione to know about the bet- not yet, anyways. But I didn't want to lie about these date ideas either. So I decided to bend the truth a tiny bit.

"Well, I thought that we haven't gone anywhere together in a long time, and we both have fairly easy weeks at work this week, so I asked Dean, Neville, Parvati, and Harry to think up some ideas for us… seeing as I'm not very good at thinking that kind of thing up myself."

Hermione smiled. "That sounds lovely, Ron. I'd like us to spend more time together." I smiled back.

"Of course, love."

I heard Ginny call something, and Hermione sighed. "I've got to go, Ron. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"All right. Love you."

"Love you, too. Good night."

"'Night."

Hermione disappeared from the fire, and I turned only to gasp when I saw Harry getting a drink of water in the kitchen behind me. He grinned. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

I clutched my heart. "Well, you did. I think I just had a heart attack."

There was silence, until finally Harry said, "So. Not telling her about the bet, I see."

I sighed. "Not yet. That would just make things worse, I think." Harry shrugged.

"Can't help you with that, mate. That's all your call." He walked back to his room. "G'night."

"'Night."

As I lay in bed, I was a little worried that I hadn't had an opportunity to propose today, but I was sure that in the next coming days, I'd have plenty of opportunities.

**A/N:** All right, hopefully that wasn't total trash. (Crosses fingers).

Please review!

))Riiko Shea((


	3. Day Two: Tuesday

**A/N: **To anyone kind enough to even keep reading this- I AM SO SORRY!!!!! I promise I have a legit excuse. First I had no Internet, then no access to a computer, then my laptop deleted my new chapter so I had to rewrite it... so all in all, this time imy long wait couldn't be helped. :(

If you can overlook my terrible updating habits and please review, I would be the happiest person ever!

Onward!

**Possibly Sufferable**

**Chapter Three**

**Day Two (Tuesday)**

When I woke up Tuesday morning, I felt sick. At first, in the drowsy haze of just waking up, I thought I'd been drinking. Then I remembered the bet, and how at twelve noon, I'd been getting my first date from Neville.

As I got ready for work and ate breakfast, I tried to mentally prepare myself for a date involving greenhouses, petunias, and various other plants that we may or may not have studied in Herbology. After all, Neville was still Neville.

I Apparated to work and sat in the office, silent. Harry glanced at me, looking a bit worried. "I think," he finally said, "that Neville will pick something better than what you're imagining."

I jumped, shaken out of my stupor. I glanced at him and smiled shakily. "I suppose," I answered, pulling some paperwork towards me. I had to get something done, after all.

A while later, a knock interrupted the silence in our office. "Yeah," I called, distracted by the file in front of me. The door opened and Dean and Parvati came in, followed by some Ministry house elves (free elves, of course). The four elves held trays with sandwiches and pumpkin juice. I blinked, realizing that if Dean and Parvati were here, then it was nearly time for Neville to Floo us. I groaned.

Dean grinned and sat on the floor by Harry's desk. As the elves distributed trays and then left, shutting the door behind them, Parvati sat on my desk. "Now, Ronald," she said, sounding frighteningly like Hermione, "relax. Think of all of these dates as a way to get closer to Hermione, to get to see her in a different light."

"I'm not sure what sort of light roses and mandrakes make," I muttered into my juice, "but I think I saw enough of it at school." Parvati slapped the back of my head and I winced. "Oi!"

"Have a bit of faith in Neville," Parvati snapped. "And don't be a baby; I hit Dean all the time." I glanced at her partner.

"My condolences mate," I said. He grinned.

"She's hot enough that I allow it," he answered, ducking as Parvati threw a pen at him. Suddenly, the fireplace in the corner crackled to life.

I got out of my chair and knelt in front of it, feeling Harry, Dean, and Parvati gather behind me. Neville's face appeared in the fire, and he smiled.

"Hello, everyone," he said. "Are you having lunch?"

"In our office," Harry answered. "We were waiting for your call."

"That's nice of you," Neville said. "Well, I was just working in the greenhouse with one of my kids, and we've found this absolutely amazing mutation when you combine a-"

"_Neville_," I growled through gritted teeth. "_Please._ Where am I going?"

He smiled. "I've decided you're going to take dance lessons."

"WHAT?" I gasped, disbelieving. Neville laughed.

"Ballroom dancing, actually. I've been doing some with Hannah in preparation for the wedding- it's fun."

"No it bloody isn't!" I snapped. "I don't dance, Longbottom. You should know that- remember fourth year?"

"We all remember fourth year," Parvati said from behind me, and I winced remembering my treatment of her sister as I dealt with jealousy and denial.

Neville's head bobbed in the fire, suggesting he had shrugged. "Hermione likes to dance, I know she does. Give this a chance, Ron- it might be a good experience."

"And it might end in a miserable failure," I muttered, but sighed. Harry took over, guessing I was too overwhelmed to say anything.

"Where are they going?"

Neville gave an address, time, and a name to ask for, all of which Dean wrote down for me in his neat handwriting. "So that's it," Neville said when he was finished. "Have fun, Ron, and tell me all about it!"

I glowered at the face in the fire as Neville winked and then disappeared. The fire turned red and orange again, and I stood and went to my desk, slumping into the chair. My friends gathered around me, waiting for my verdict.

I was shocked. I had expected a lot of things for Neville's date, but not one of them had involved dancing. Ugh. _I hate dancing._ Although… dancing with Hermione at Bill's wedding had been kind of fun. And she certainly enjoyed it, and looked beautiful while she did it.

Maybe… maybe I could give it a try.

I stood and stretched. "I'm going to go see Hermione and tell her about the date," I announced. Dean whooped and Harry and Parvati grinned.

"I think you'll have a lot of fun," Parvati said.

"Or you'll crash and burn," Dean laughed. "What I wouldn't give to be there!"

I glared at Dean as Parvati cuffed the back of his head. She beamed at me and I smiled back worriedly before exiting my office.

I headed towards Hermione's office in the Department of Magical Creatures. It's an easy place to find- you just have to look for a centaur in the robes of a minister coming out of an office, or a house elf (in tiny robes) stumbling out of the break room. Thanks to Hermione, most intelligent magical beings had a representative or two working in the department.

Hermione's office was in the center of the corridor so that she could keep an eye on all of the goings-on. I knocked and she called, "Come in!"

I pushed opened the door and found her standing up and brushing off her robes, obviously having just finished talking to someone in the fireplace. She smiled when she saw me.

"Hello, Ron. What brings you here?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

I shook my head and walked over to her. "No, not really. I found out where we're going tonight, that's all."

Hermione blinked. "Really? Where are we going?"

I sighed. "Um, it was Neville's turn to pick, and he picked… ballroom dancing."

I glanced at Hermione to see her staring at me in shock. "Excuse me?"

"We're dancing… I mean, if you don't want to, I can tell Neville to pick something else," I said hurriedly. "Or we can pretend we went, and go somewhere else?"

To my surprise, Hermione blushed. "No, no… ballroom dancing sounds interesting," she said softly. "I'm… looking forward to it."

I grinned and kissed the top of her head. "All right, then, love. Ballroom dancing it is. Our class is at four, so I'll get you at three-thirty and then we'll get dinner afterwards, how's that?"

"That sounds good," Hermione answered. "I've got a meeting now, so I'll see you then."

She stood on tip-toe and kissed my cheek, exiting the room before I could try for another one. I sighed and left to tackle my own stacks of paperwork.

By one-thirty I was getting nervous. "What do I wear to a ballroom dancing class, anyways?" I snapped. Harry shrugged.

"Neville said it was a beginner class, so… jeans and a tee-shirt, maybe?" He didn't look sure. I sighed and concentrated on my paperwork instead of my feeling of impending doom.

Harry and I left work early, which was allowed since we were getting up earlier than usual to do field work all the next day. It was two when I settled in front of the computer in Harry's room (a Muggle invention that I thought all wizards should have access to) and entered the World Wide Web.

I searched for "ballroom dancing classes" and soon found a website that told me stuff like I should take a "few lessons" (which caused me to freak until Harry told me that if I'd been paying attention I would have heard Neville say he'd set us up to only have to take one lesson), that I should wear dress shoes and comfortable, stretchy clothes, that I would learn my part separately from Hermione, and that I would only dance with her towards the end of the class.

I sighed. This was sounding like more and more of a drag, especially because the website said I should have my own music picked out. Neville had said we were in a waltz class, so I searched until I found a waltz that sounded like something from the Triwizard Tournament ball and had Harry load it onto a CD for me.

At three-thirty I was standing outside of Hermione's flat with my dress shoes in my hand. When she opened the door, she was dressed like I was in sweatpants and a tee-shirt, and a pair of low heels were held tightly in her hand. I grinned at her.

"Heels, Hermione? That's unusual." Hermione hit my arm and stepped outside, shutting the door.

"Shush, I've worn heels before, and I can dance in them, too!" She stalked down the hallway and I followed, remembering her at the ball in fourth year, and at Bill and Fleur's wedding. She _could_ dance in heels, I realized.

I Apparated her with me to the alley behind the building where the studio was, and together we walked up the stairs to the third floor. I pushed open the door and held it for her as she walked in.

The door led straight into a well-lit dance studio, with light colored wood floors, bars on a wall for ballerinas, a long mirror on the opposite wall, and a number of people our age stretching. In front of them was a spry looking middle-aged woman, who smiled at us when we walked in.

"You must be Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," she said, coming over and extending her hand. "I'm Alexandra DuPont, the instructor for this class. I was told you weren't planning on taking more than one class, because you're not really certain on the day of your wedding... Is this still the case?"

I flushed and nodded. "Um... yes, it is."

"All right, then the music I have picked out for practice tonight should suffice- we don't need to use yours." DuPont smiled and directed us to some shelves where we could leave our shoes and coats.

Once we had stretched, DuPont introduced us to the other couples, and then separated us into groups based on gender.

Together with the other men, I tried (and failed) to learn the steps as DuPont taught them. "One two three one two three lift and spin and one two three one two tree keep in time one two three lift and around and..."

"Now, practice!" she said at the end of twenty minutes. I stared in befuddlement at the other men in my group. They all looked to be in similar states of disrepair, so I straightened and took charge. After all, it seemed fairly similar to what Harry had done with Parvati all those years ago.

Everything was going smoothly as we danced with our invisible partners, until one bloke, a man called Ian, tripped and fell into me. I stumbled as the rest watched in horror. As if in slow motion, I felt myself falling and grabbed for something.

Unfortunately, that something was another man's fiancée who was walking to the shelves to get the water she'd left there. I snagged a piece of her clothing and went down, slamming painfully into the floor.

There was silence, and I groaned, trying to sit up. For some reason, my hands were tangled in something. My eyes went wide with dread when I realized that it was. Someone's pants. A _female_ someone's pants. I let go quickly.

For a long moment, I stared at the floor, and then slowly got to my feet- only to realize that the woman was struggling to hold back a grin and that she was wearing tight athletic shorts under her sweatpants.

She burst out laughing when she saw the look of relief on my face, as did just about everyone else in the room. "Sorry," she said through her laughter, pulling up her sweatpants. "I'd taken a class like this once before, and while we were dancing my partner got his shoe caught in the hem of my pants and pulled them down. I always wear shorts underneath, now."

I sighed in relief and sagged against the wall. "Thanks goodness," I said, "because that might've been slightly awkward." From across the room Hermione caught my eye and grinned- I flushed and shook my head.

Eventually, DuPont decided we should move on to dancing with real partners. I was coupled with a woman named Lisa, who danced pretty well and even taught me an easier way to lift a partner. Next was a woman named Becky, who was shy and quiet and stumbled a few times.

Finally, I was partnered with Hermione. She knew the steps well, and we moved easily around the room, in time with the other couples. I lifted her, spun, and then we seamlessly began to step again as her feet hit the floor.

I decided then and there that when we got married, this would be our wedding song.

By the end of the night, we were both tired. We thanked DuPont and all of the others before going outside. It was already seven and Hermione's stomach had been growling for the past half-hour.

I led the way to a pizza place I had noticed down the road, and we sat down next to each other in a booth after I order a large pepperoni pizza.

"Did you have fun?" I asked Hermione, taking her hand. She smiled.

"I did," she answered. "Made me feel like a fourth year again."

"So in other words, you're off to find Krum?" I asked. Hermione laughed.

"No, but I should be worried about you leaving me for that girl whose pants you pulled down."

I shook my head with embarrassment. We ate our pizza in silence, all the while with me wondering when I should ask the question. And then I remembered something.

As soon as I got home, I had put the rings in the jeans I had thought I'd be wearing to class. I'd completely forgotten to put them in my sweatpants. It was stupid mistake that had cost me my chance!

I didn't let it ruin my time with Hermione, and we had a nice walk until she got cold and I Apparated her back to her flat.

Once we were there, I kissed her soundly in front of the door. When we separated, I said, "I'll let you know about tomorrow."

"Okay," she answered, softly. I grinned and leaned in again.

A few minutes later, I pulled away and Apparated back to my own flat, where Harry was waiting for details. I told him all that had gone on (besides the pants incident). When he asked me if I had proposed, I said no but didn't offer any explanation. He shook his head but left it alone.

That night as I curled up in bed, I thought about Hermione smile as we danced, and decided that maybe ballroom dancing hadn't been such a bad idea.

))((

Downstairs, Parvati came out of the hall closet and Dean emerged from beneath the Invisibility Cloak. In his arms was a box- inside it were the controls for a Muggle camera that George had tinkered with to make it fly and move on the command of whoever had the controls. It was covered in a Wheezes product that made it so it was camouflaged into whatever was behind it, which made it nearly impossible to see.

Harry, Ginny, George, and Angelina had used it to spy on Ron and Hermione during their last bet, and now Harry had taken it from its hiding place in the Burrow and was using it again. He knew Ron would never suspect, since Ron still had no idea it existed. Neither did Hermione.

Now, however, Dean was groaning. "He forgot the rings," he snapped. "Obviously. What a waste of a night."

"You've got to admit, though, his face after pants incident made it all worth it," Parvati grinned.

Harry nodded. "Tonight _was_ a bit of a bust because of him forgetting the rings- he would never ask her unless he had them."

The others nodded, and then after talking softly for a little longer, they left to avoid waking Ron up. Once they were gone, Harry ejected the tape to send to Neville, and then went to bed with a note hanging on his door that said, _Remind Ron to remember the rings._

**A/N: **I don't think there were centaurs and house elves in the Ministry before, but if there were, pretend there weren't.

I've never ballroom danced/waltzed/been to a ballroom dancing class before, so if I wrote anything incorrectly, I'm sorry!

With regards to forgetting the rings being a "cop-out", I really feel like in his nervousness that would be something ROn would do. He won't forget them again, I promise.

Also, if this chapter is complete trash, I'm sorry about that, too... I just felt I owed you all a chapter, even if it wasn't the greatest.

Please, please, try to find it in your heart to review!

))Riiko Shea((


	4. Day Three: Wednesday

**A/N: **Well hello… I'm back! (dodges pitchforks). Sorry, sorry! But truly, I am suffering from a gigantic, year-long writer's block, so massive that I barely managed to smuggle this chapter over it (which is why it probably isn't very good.)

However, I'm working on a little oneshot that is entirely different from anything else I've ever done that will hopefully lay waste to this horrifying condition.

To anyone who's stuck around, thanks! I haven't been answering reviews, but I promise I will now- I just can't figure out who I've replied to and who I haven't. XP

And now, onward!

**Possibly Sufferable**

**Chapter Four**

**Day Three (Wednesday)**

When I woke up on Wednesday, at around five thirty, I was relieved to see that the weather was good. Today Harry and I were on patrol, and patrol in the rain or wind was never fun.

I dressed and ate breakfast quickly, Harry doing the same thing, before we headed to work.

Our assignment for the day was floating around outside of our office once we arrived. In Kingsley's script, it told us we would be patrolling Diagon Alley until twelve-thirty, at which point Parvati and Dean would come take over for us. We'd return to the offices until three and then would be free to go.

Another memo from Dean and Parvati was bumping up against the doorframe as well. It said that when Dean and Parvati came to relieve us, Dean would give me my date assignment for the day. I crushed the paper in my fist. I hadn't known that Dean was going to be the one who would be picking today.

This could mean nothing good.

Harry and I Apparated out to Diagon Alley. It was crowded as usual, and before I'd even gotten my bearings I'd nearly been pushed over. You'd never be able to tell that after the war almost no one had come into Diagon Alley- it had been a ghost town.

Now, though, it was the same bustling hub of activity I remembered from all my years of book shopping for Hogwarts. Harry stretched and glanced towards Knockturn Alley. "Let's hike down there, take a look around, and then come back, okay?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Fine by me, I don't have any routes in mind." Harry and I headed down into the seedy alley, glancing around with armbands prominently displayed.

Knockturn was just as crowded as Diagon Alley had been, but the people hid their faces much of the time and there were very few children. Even though the shops down here weren't all disreputable, if one was caught going into Knockturn Alley people might be a bit suspicious.

I glanced around but didn't see anyone I recognized. Harry, next to me, shrugged at me as the people parted around us, not bumping into us as the more cheerful crowd in Diagon Alley did. It was a pretty typical scene and nothing in particular jumped out at me.

There was, however, an _uneasy_ feeling in the alley. There was nothing obvious that I could see, but I could tell Harry was getting a weird vibe from the way he kept rubbing his scar, a habit he only displayed when something wasn't right.

Since we couldn't see anything, though, we strolled through Knockturn. When we reached the end of the street, Harry and I found an Apparation point and made our way back into the cheer and bustle of Diagon Alley.

Other than the weird Knockturn Alley walkthrough, the patrol was fairly standard. Harry and I managed to apprehend two pickpockets, handing them over to a pair of lower Aurors who were on booking duty.

At three, Dean and Parvati met us Flourish and Blotts. Pavarti gave me a grin and looked at Harry. "How was patrol?"

Harry sighed and stretched. "Fine… boring, as always. Hopefully we'll get something exciting tomorrow."

I faked a shudder. "I'm getting as much excitement as I can handle with you lot picking my dates at night."

Dean smirked. "Speaking of dates, I have your assignment for tonight. Do you want it?"

I regarded him. "Do I?" I countered. He laughed.

"I promise, it'll be fun." From his robes Dean pulled a sheet of paper with some coordinates on it. "I play football with a bunch of people from work, and I've decided you and Hermione are coming to tonight's scrimmage."

I stared blankly. "What?" I finally burst out. "I've never even _played_ football before! I bet Hermione hasn't, either!"

Dean shrugged. "It's about doing something fun together, trying something new, right?"

I glowered at him and he held up his hands in surrender. "Don't worry!" he said. "I promise, there are always new people, and it's very relaxed."

I glanced at Parvati, who was grinning, and Harry, who shrugged. I sighed. "All right, fine. Not like I have a bloody choice, anyways," I muttered.

Dean clapped me on the shoulder. "Excellent. So I'll see you there at five-thirty, all right?"

"Fine," I snapped, and turned away. "Coming, Harry?"

"Coming," Harry answered, calling a good-bye to Parvati and Dean and a warning to patrol Knockturn Alley. When he caught up with me, he asked, "What's wrong? I don't think tonight's date is too bad."

I rolled my eyes. "Says the bloke who's already played the game before," I said. "You remember how good I am at things when I try them for the first time."

Harry shrugged. "I don't know, football's pretty fun. And it's easier than Quidditch since it's on the ground, even though it takes more stamina."

I glanced at him in annoyance. "Thanks for being on my side, mate," I answered as we reached an Apparition Point. I stepped up and spun into the alley outside the Ministry. Harry appeared soon after me as I marched into the building and made my way through the security.

Finally the two of us were secure in our office, making a firecall to Neville. "Hi, Neville," said Harry. "Dean told Ron what he's doing tonight."

"And?" Neville prompted. I rolled my eyes.

"I have to go play football with him and some people from work." Neville sighed.

"That's a shame, I was expecting something more exciting from Dean." I glowered and Neville grinned.

"Well, I've got to get to my next class – see you later!" His head disappeared before I could say anything, and Harry clapped me on the shoulder.

"Let's finished our paperwork and then go rent you and Hermione some shoes and stuff," he said. I blinked at him.

"You need special shoes?"

Harry gave a long-suffering sigh and sat down at his desk, pulling a stack of reports towards him. "Listen up, I'm going to teach you about footy."

By three, my head was spinning with off-sides, passes, goalies, diamond formations, and other confusing terms that I kept wanting to replace with familiar Quidditch nomenclature.

"So wait," I said, for the fortieth time, "you can only touch the ball with your feet?"

Harry was reclining in his chair, his feet perilously close to his completed stack of paperwork. "No, you can touch it with anything but your arms. Chest, head, and any part of your legs are fair game."

I groaned. "I wish I hadn't already told Hermione," I sighed. "I'd back out right now."

Harry grinned. "No you wouldn't. You never give up when there's a bet at stake."

An accurate statement, I conceded, and glanced at my watch. "All right, it's three. Let's go get those pokey shoes."

As he stood, Harry rolled his eyes. "Thank goodness this is a one-time thing," he muttered. "I don't think I could take you butchering the sport for too long."

I smirked and extended my arm so he could Side-Along me to a sporting goods store. "Your decision to teach me," I reminded him, and Harry groaned.

The shopping was handled quickly. Harry guessed at me and Hermione's sizes, getting in return two pairs of shoes with rubber lumps on the bottom. "You can borrow shin protectors from Dean and the others," Harry said as we left the store. I nodded, examining the shoe I was holding.

"So can I step on people with this?" I asked. Harry grinned.

"Whatever you can get away with without the refs catching you, you can do," he clarified, and I laughed.

At five-fifteen, I was standing outside Hermione and Ginny's apartment, wearing an old Cannons t-shirt and shorts and carrying our footy shoes. I knocked and Hermione opened the door, looking ready.

"Hi, Ron," she said, standing on tip-toe for a kiss. "Are you ready to go?"

I sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be. It may surprise you to find that I have never played football before."

Hermione grinned. "I'm not terribly surprised, actually. Where are we going?"

I held out the coordinates Dean had given me. "Got it?"

"Yes. I'll see you there." She waved, turned, and was gone. I groaned softly, rubbed the shrunken box in my pocket, and followed her.

I hit the ground and blinked. I had Apparated into the center of a large, green field- I recognized a section of the park near Dean's flat. On either end were nets, held up by large rectangular frames.

"_These are the goals,_" Harry had said. _"The point is to kick the ball into the other team's goal."_

I tilted my head. They looked pretty large. I figured that it shouldn't prove too much of a challenge to get a little football into the net.

I marched across the field to the wooden bench where Dean was talking with Hermione. He looked up and grinned when he saw me. "Hey! You guys are the first ones here."

"I noticed," I said. "Here, Hermione."

She took her shoes and smiled. "Thanks, Ron." She looked up at Dean as she expertly laced them up. "So who's coming?"

"Not too many people tonight- just enough to play five on five with a keeper."

I blinked, tying a knot in my left shoe's laces. "So we're playing five people short?"

"Yep." Dean looked impressed, as did Hermione. "I thought you said you'd never played before?"

I grinned. "I haven't. Harry was explaining everything so I wouldn't embarrass myself- I thought he was going to kill himself by the time I left." I looked at Hermione. "Have _you_ played?"

She shrugged, standing and stretching. "I played when I was a kid on the playground, but I haven't played a few years." Hermione took the proffered ball from Dean and, setting it at her feet, began to carefully kick it ("_dribble"_ said a voice in my head that sounded suspiciously like Harry) across the field. Once she reached the goal at the end, she sent the ball rocketing into the top left corner. Dean whistled.

"That's quite a girl, there, Ron."

I bit my lip. "I know… I wonder if there's anything she _can't_ do?"

"Probably not," said a voice behind us. We turned to find Parvati standing behind us, already wearing her football shoes. "I'm surprised you didn't bail on us, Ron."

"Of course not," I snapped. "What do you take me for?"

"A wizard whose never played footy before," she said, taking a ball from the bag sitting next to the bench. She winked and then was off, dribbling down the field faster than Hermione had and landing a perfect goal. Dean grinned as I gaped after her.

"She plays often?" I finally managed. Dean laughed.

"Yep. She's here most days we play." I groaned.

"Great, just what I need. More witnesses to my humiliation."

Dean patted my shoulder. "It won't be. And just look at it this way- Hermione will be happy you came to play with her, won't she?"

I glanced at the other end of the field where Hermione appeared to be trying to keep the ball away from Parvati. She was laughing and Parvati, though clearly frustrated, was laughing as well. With a sudden feint she had the ball and Hermione was chasing her around the field instead. I sighed. "Yeah, you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Dean answered cheerfully. "Now let's head out on that field and get playing."

Once everyone else arrived, we split into two teams of six. Dean and Parvati were proclaimed captains, and they each sent a tall-ish person into the goal as the keeper. Dean was the captain of my team, and he sent me in as a center.

Hermione was a forward ("_Striker,"_ said the Harry-voice,) and she grinned at me from her position on Parvati's team. Dean called ready, and then Parvati's team (who had the ball) made their move.

At first I was spectacularly horrible. I missed the ball, almost started going in the wrong direction, and tripped at least twice. But as the game went on and I watched Hermione laugh and slowly become more familiar with the game she'd played during her childhood, I decided that maybe football wasn't so bad after all.

Soon, one of Dean's friends was lining up a corner kick to try and even out the tied score. I was sweaty, jubilant, and determined not to lose to Hermione (not that that had ever done me any good in the past.)

The ball flew from the kicker's foot, and various people jumped, trying to block the ball or head it. Suddenly, I heard a sick _thud _and Hermione was on the ground, yelping once in pain.

Play stopped and I rushed to her side, where Dean and another tall man were kneeling. "I'm so sorry!" the unknown man was saying. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right," I heard Hermione say as I knelt next to her. She looked up at me from where she was lying. Her face was pale a there was some blood dripping from her forehead, but nothing that looked too serious.

Parvati soon appeared with her wand, neatly bandaging the cut. I hoisted Hermione to her feet and helped her to the side of the field where we silently watched the "sudden death shoot-out" that Dean declared would end the game.

My team won.

After congratulations were passed around, and Hermione had been coddled by everyone, Dean decided that pizza would be ordered.

As he placed a call on his Muggle mobile phone, I pulled Hermione aside. "How are you feeling, love?"

She smiled, gingerly touching her forehead. "Good, I think. Not dizzy or anything. I've had worse."

I bit my lip. "I know. But I always worry about you." I bent and kissed her bandage and Hermione grinned.

"You're sweet, but I think I can handle having some pizza before we go," she said, taking my hand and leading me back to the group.

Soon, everyone was sitting on the grass, eating slices of cheese and pepperoni pizza, while teasing the man who had head-butted Hermione about his ability to "hit on women".

"Shut up, you gits!" he kept protesting. "I said I was sorry!" His name was Henry and he seemed to be nice enough, so I grinned at his protests instead of making him eat his teeth for injuring Hermione.

Plus, I figured she wouldn't really approve of my violence.

After an hour or two, the group started breaking up and after bidding good-night to everyone, I took Hermione home using Side-Along. I made sure she got settled at home all right, kissed her good-night, and headed back home, exhausted.

Harry was waiting from me on the couch after I finished showering. "So, how did it go?" he asked. I collapsed with a sigh and gave him an abbreviated version.

"Wow. Only you two could make a football game so eventful," Harry said, snickering. I glowered.

"It wasn't my fault. It wasn't like I _asked_ for her to get hit in the head." I shook my head. "Well I'm tired and sore, so I'm going to bed. 'Night."

"G'night, Ron!" Harry called after me, and then I shut the door to my room.

As I crawled into bed, I stared at the ring on my bedside table, wondering if I would ever be able to find a moment to ask Hermione to marry me.

I fell asleep.

))((

Harry sighed, pulling from his pocket the vial of memories he had already put in his and Ron's Pensieve. Ron's stop at Hermione's had given Dean the time he needed to Apparate over and give Harry the memory, and Harry had already seen all of their somewhat-disastrous footy date. Harry understood Ron's reluctance to propose to her tonight, since Harry had no doubt in his mind that, for all Hermione's smiles, she probably had a splitting headache and had really just wanted to go to bed. Getting hit in the head was never fun.

But it was already the third day. Ron had to get his act together, or else he would never be able to ask Hermione to marry him. And he'd be wearing a dress to Harry's wedding.

Ah well. Harry pocketed the vial, turned off the lights, and went to bed.

**A/N: **Thanks for reading!

Sorry for any mistakes, and please review. ;)

))Riiko Shea((


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